I happened upon the FBI file on Albert Einstein this afternoon.

The 1,427 page file particularly interested me because of a few conversations I’ve had recently about the return to our nation of spying on its own citizens. Some people say, “What would I care if the government collects information on me. I have nothing to hide.” People who feel strongly about civil liberties and the constitutional freedoms afforded to Americans might argue that it’s the principle of the matter. But the pragmatic argument (which is why the principle exists) is that there may be cases where you don’t feel like you’ve done anything wrong, but government officials feel like you have.

Consider that Einstein’s file has a section on his participation in “The American Crusade to End Lynching.” Sound like a cause you could support?

The FBI includes his activities in this organization (he was co-chair with FBI file]) as evidence of his communist activities. His file cites a “reliable source” as follows: “in view of some of the endorsers, this crusade had all the ear marks of another Communist attempt to instill racial agitation.” It further supports the theory by noting that a Washington DC protest staged by the group was mentioned in Communist friendly newspapers.

So what kind of file will you have at the FBI? How about in the Department of Homeland Security?

You may never have the satisfaction of knowing, because the same bill that established the Homeland Security Act significantly weakened the Freedom of Information Act that enabled Einstein’s file to be made public.